


when they celebrated

by BlueWall (MsMrs)



Series: through the years [8]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Anniversary, Bisexual Mike Wheeler, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Drinking, Fluff, Gay Will Byers, M/M, Making Out, Nostalgia, Star Wars - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 12:52:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17284409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsMrs/pseuds/BlueWall
Summary: A collection of moments when Mike and Will celebrated, no matter how small the occasion.





	1. 1986 - Anniversary

**Author's Note:**

> I just felt like writing a short again. So what? Sue me!

A small, involuntary moan slipped past Will‘s lips. These were the moments when he wondered if it would always be like this; Heat pooling in his lower half at even the slightest touch from Mike. Well, they had long passed _slight_ touches anyways.

 

No, this was way more. The way Will had straddled his boyfriend on the living room couch in the empty Wheeler home, Mike‘s hands firmly gripping his sensitive sides, thumbs circling on Will‘s stomach under his sweater... Time after time he felt his mouth assaulted by Mike‘s tongue, soft and warm, dancing around his.

 

The rare moments they actually broke apart, both were breathing in short, labored bursts against each other. This must have been going on for at least ten minutes, but it was still not enough. _Never_ enough. Will knew pretty well where this was headed eventually, but not yet. So far they had been exploring, nothing more, and getting comfortable with that had taken a while.

 

Just when Will thought he couldn‘t possibly melt deeper into his boyfriend, Mike went further down. His nibbling, a bit clumsy and so insistent, would leave hickeys. At least the weather the justified wearing a turtleneck, so that wouldn‘t be a problem. Will fell forwards a bit so his heaving chest ended up flush with Mike‘s. His neck smelled like... like pulsing heat.

 

Eventually, Mike‘s nimble thumbs brushed across a sensitive spot somewhere near Wills belly button, causing him to cringe, croaking. „Mike!“ he giggled, all light-headed and bubbly. „You did that on purpose!“

 

„Nu-uh.“ Mike snickered. „Promise.“

 

„Dork.“

 

„Lovable dork, though.“

 

„True.“ Will decided to reciprocate, hands searching Mike‘s stomach for a ticklish spot. He didn‘t find any. These last few months it had gotten increasingly hard for the two to tickle each other. Will figured it had something to do with trust. Where other people‘s fingers would make him flinch, Mike‘s usually caused goosebumps to ripple across Will‘s body.

 

„Nope. Not gonna work.“ Mike grinned. „Hey, I got something for you.“

 

„For me?“ Will‘s breath hitched.

 

„Yup.“

 

Will dove in again. „Something like this?“ he asked, pulling back.

 

„No. I mean, yeah, that too, but I got you a present.“

 

This had Will just a bit confused. His brows furrowed. „What‘s the occasion?“

 

„What, I need an occasion now to give you something?“ Mike snorted. He turned more serious soon, though. „Actually, yeah. I got one. It‘s about tomorrow.“

 

„What‘s tomorrow?“ Will honestly didn‘t know. This couldn‘t be about the impending history quiz that he didn‘t study enough for, right?

 

„It‘s the first of September.“

 

„And?“ Will questioned, but before Mike could say anything else, added through a sudden stroke of realization „Oh!“

 

A grin, knowing and satisfied, spread Mike‘s slightly swollen lips. „I really didn‘t realize until last week.“

 

„B-but I didn‘t get you anything.“ Will breathed. „God, I‘m so sorry Mike, I didn‘t-“

 

„Oh stop it, Will. You don‘t have to get me anything.“

 

But Will still felt he did. Because, holy crap, they had known each other for exactly ten years now. And that was no small thing. Two thirds of their lives, actually. If Will really thought back, there wasn‘t a lot before Mike. Blurry memories at best. But the image of this black-haired stranger, just as scared and lost as Will himself, was clear as day to him.

 

Lost in thoughts for a second, Will couldn‘t make out where Mike had hidden the neatly wrapped gift. He gasped when Mike held it out to him and flopped to the couch next to his boyfriend to be able to really take look.

 

„Open it.“ Mike urged. „I promise you‘re gonna like it.“

 

The feeling of the rectangular object already gave something away, but Will wasn‘t prepared for what he saw. Not at all. The thick, eggshell colored card lay on top, with Mike‘s best handwriting on it.

 

_10 years? Let‘s make that 100 more._

 

Hand shaking just a little bit, Will carefully put it aside, just to be struck by the framed photo. „That‘s...“ he choked out.

 

„Yeah. Remember that day?“

 

Will made attempts to blink his tears away. The photo was almost as old as their friendship. Two sleeping boys slumped against each other on that carpet Will remembered just too well, the one with roads and houses on it. Mike used to have it until he was, what, eight or nine? In the photo, Will‘s head was resting on Mike‘s shoulder, much like it did right now. Mouths slightly agape, the two had their favorite book at the time ‚ABC of Dinosaurs‘ opened in their laps. Will‘s hand was clutching on to Rory the T-Rex, while Mike had a half-crushed, half-eaten chocolate chip cookie in his. Both their shirts were covered in crumbs.

 

„The first time I came to your house.“ Will almost choked on his words. Mike‘s hand clasped his own tightly.

 

„I was just looking for something to get you and my mom told me about the boxes of photos in the attic.“ Mike mumbled, blushing a bit.

 

„Your mom helped you with this.“

 

Mike showed a fond smile with maybe a layer of sadness beneath it. „Like I know what a nice picture frame should look like. It‘s... it‘s getting better, ya know.“

 

Will loved the sound of these words. Mike and his mom really had been working hard to put the pieces back together since spring. Mike had ended up seeing a therapist in the end, but together with his mom. There were no talks of ‚curing‘ his ‚condition‘ anymore, and aside from that he had really gotten closer with his mother again. „I‘m glad.“ he said.

 

„Yeah, me too.“ Mike nodded. „S-so... you like it?“

 

Will looked back down at the photo in his hands. A watery smile spread on his face. „A hundred more years, huh?“

 

Mike‘s hand made a vague movement. „A hundred at least.“


	2. 1999 - Eulogy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not that much Byler in this one. But I think I've neglected the Party way too much in this series so far. They're amazing Friends.

„You can‘t repair this!“

 

„Dustin...“ Mike sighed, showing Will a playful roll of his eyes. „Listen, you-“

 

„No, Michael!“ For the tenth time tonight, Dustin‘s arms flew into the air dramatically. This time, he almost knocked Lucas‘ beer over. „This is murder! Murder, I tell you!“

 

„Hey, watch it!“

 

Dustin, entirely oblivious to what just happened, downed his own beer in one drag and then tapped on the mahogany bar, signing the barkeeper to fill up again. The bearded men gave the group a suspicious look, but eventually shrugged and filled up the glass. „If you guys decide to explode, do it outside, okay?“

 

„Explode?“ Dustin roared. „How am I not supposed to explode?“

 

Mike gently waved his hand to let the barkeeper know they didn‘t mean any trouble. Will didn‘t know if he should laugh or cry. Dustin was clearly exaggerating, especially for a man barreling towards thirty, but that didn‘t mean Will couldn‘t feel it too. He also took a deep drag from the bitter, golden liquid that was sparkling in his glass. Now, about an hour after the party had dragged themselves into the small bar, the alcohol was finally beginning to fill him with the pleasant warmth he had been looking for. Will even giggled a bit when Dustin buried his face in his hands.

 

„Jar Jar Binks...“ he groaned. „Who thought _that_ was a good idea?“

 

„You‘re being dramatic.“ Max snorted indignantly. „It‘s just a movie.“

 

„It‘s murder!“ Dustin insisted. „Star Wars is dead. Don‘t try to tell me otherwise. But...“ A few deep gulps from his glass later, Dustin burped, loud enough to startle El a bit. „But I‘m not going to hold on to a dead body.“

 

Mike and Will exchanged a glance in which amusement and worry mixed. Will knew they were both thinking the same thing; Was this the end of their Star Wars days? Had this all been a terrible idea? Coming back to Hawkins for a weekend to watch Episode I at the same place they had watched the original trilogy, back when the world was full of wonder and this abomination of a movie was only a far away concept?

 

„Star Wars isn‘t dead.“ Mike proclaimed. „We could just... just ignore this ever happened.“ His speech was mildly slurred already. „I got an idea.“ With resolution adorning his features, he got up from his bar stool, wavering dangerously.

 

„Whatever...“ Dustin sighed. He emptied his beer once again. „Guys, I‘m gonna need your help. The Force isn‘t with me tonight.“ Neither was his ability to stand up straight, so it became Lucas‘ task to drag him along.

 

\--------------------

 

There was no way of telling if Karen Wheeler objected to her twenty-eight year old son and his five friends rummaging through her kitchen in an at least half-drunken state just minutes before midnight. She watched rather curiously, smiling when Will gave her an apologetic look.

 

Mike was on his hands and knees by now, arm stretching into the gap next to the fridge. „Where is it, come on, I know it must be... ah.“ He held up the pack of microwavable popcorn like Indiana Jones would hold an ancient treasure. The packaging looked ancient too. „I dropped it behind the counter the week before I moved out.“

 

„Ew, no!“ El gasped, giggling along with Max. „You can‘t be serious. This is ten years old.“

 

„I can‘t stop you from eating that, can I?“ Karen yawned heartily from her position leaned against the door frame. „I got a bucket in the closed under the stairs. Use it if you have to… you know. You‘ll all be staying the living room tonight?“

 

„Damn right.“ Mike confirmed, triumphant grin still plastered across his face. His face showed the nostalgia Will felt, and although their original place for spending the night, the Wheelers‘ basement, had been lost to Karen‘s and Ted‘s ugly divorce, he just knew he‘d enjoy himself tonight.

 

With the popcorn eventually done and actually edible (Will wouldn‘t have believed that) the party settled down on and in front of the couch, some of them sprawled out on the carpet as if they were fourteen and immune to a sore back. But Will only realized what Mike‘s plan actually was when his boyfriend, after three failed attempts, managed to pop in the VHS to _A New Hope._

 

„Marathon?“ he gasped with excitement.

 

„You bet your sweet ass.“ Mike grunted. „We got to right this wrong.“

 

„That‘s more like it!“ Dustin cheered, without a second thought about his friend‘s sleeping mother upstairs. „Mike, we need more drinks. Anything you got.“

 

„You mean anything his mom‘s got.“ Max corrected. „That‘s fucked up, guys.“

 

But Mike smirked. „Couple bottles of wine I think. Don‘t worry, Maxine. I‘m gonna pay her.“ Max couldn‘t protest; Mike didn‘t give her an opportunity before hurrying off just to return with three glass bottles, still corked, as well as a bunch of plastic cups.

 

„Classy as always. Alright, let‘s do it!“ Dustin clapped his hands and eagerly ripped the first cup Mike had filled from his hands.

 

„Don‘t spill!“ Mike warned. „She loves her carpet!“

 

„Yeah yeah...“

 

Over the next minute, everyone received their own cup and Mike seemed about ready to press Play on the movie. Only, Dustin stumbled to his feet, which caused a worried glance from Lucas, who could do nothing to hold his friend in place. Being the bulkiest in the group, Dustin still was the most drunk. „Listen!“ he proclaimed in his best medieval announcer voice, the one he had practiced during their long D&D nights. „I cannot revoke my former statement! Star Wars has died a most gruesome, atrocious death at the hands of its very creator! But tonight, we feast-“

 

„On ten year old popcorn...“ Max threw in.

 

Dustin lost his rhythm a bit from that comment, and for a second Will thought he might tip over. „On ten year old popcorn! Not to mourn the demise of Star Wars, but to celebrate its life! Here‘s to... uh... 376 minutes of childhood!“

 

As much as Will wanted to laugh at the ridiculous way their friend wavered, he felt a burning sensation in the corners of his eyes, so he retorted to drown that with a sip of wine and snuggled up into Mike‘s side.

 

„Alright.“ Mike sighed. „I‘m gonna ignore that you actually know the total running time of these movies. Can we get going now?“

 

„All set.“ Dustin confirmed, flopping back on the couch.

 

The epic beginning came and went; That seemingly endless Star Destroyer, intimidating and gray. So did old Ben Kenobi, whose sacrifice still hurt, even after the fiftieth time watching the movie. Dustin stopped drinking by the end of A New Hope because, in his own words „Don‘ wan‘ fall m‘sleep.“ He did fall asleep about ten minutes later, when Luke was just preparing to examine that Imperial probe on Hoth.

 

Lucas was snoring before Han Solo got frozen in Carbonite. When the opening text on Jedi rolled, Max couldn‘t keep her eyes open anymore, and El followed only minutes after the stolen Imperial shuttle landed on Endor.

 

That left Mike and Will alone with each other, half a bottle of wine and the giddy feeling these cute little balls of fur known as Ewoks caused them. „They‘re so cute, look at ‘em!“ Will crooned.

 

„Yeah. Like, don‘t you jus‘ wanna cuddle... uh... cuddle them?“ Mike slurred.

 

Giving the whole thing a second thought, Will shrugged. „Probably have to bathe one first.“

 

„How ‘bout you cuddle me then?“

 

„Where‘s your fur?“ Will chuckled.

 

Mike wasn‘t exactly a hairy man, and Will almost lost it when he pulled up his shirt to tug on the few stray hairs on his chest. „Call me Chewbacca.“ He failed miserably at trying to produce a Wookie roar. That really was Dustin‘s thing.

 

„Shhh...“ Will shushed. „Wan‘ watch the movie.“ He swung his legs across Mike‘s lap clumsily, not caring if he dealt a semi-hard kick to Dustin‘s thigh.

 

„Jedi is the best one.“ Mike murmured.

 

„Nah, that‘s Empire.“ Will yawned.

 

„Hm.“ Mike hummed. „‘member how you got scared at the theater when we watched it? And we had to cuddle all night?“

 

Of course Will remembered. Like he remembered every occasion he and Mike ever had come close to each other before either of them had even known why they loved this so much. He nodded, not entirely sure if he‘d remember tonight too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope the title didn't scare you.


End file.
